AMERICAS: A US federal judge in Hawaii blocked President Trump’s ban on travel from parts of the Muslim world.

ASIA: Australia urged Southeast Asia’s regional bloc and China to conclude a legally-binding code of conduct in the South China Sea.

EUROPE: French and German leaders expressed relief after Dutch voters backed the nation’s PM Mark Rutte over an anti-immigration and anti-Islam candidate in an election that many viewed as a symbolic defeat for the forces of political populism.

MIDDLE EAST: Iraqi authorities said more than 150,000 people have fled fighting in and around Mosul since the operation to retake it from Islamic State jihadists began.

TECHNOLOGY: Indictments in the US of four people in a 2014 cyber attack on Yahoo Inc provides the clearest details yet on a symbiotic relationship between Moscow’s security services and private Russian hackers.

TOP STORY

North Korea: US Secretary Tillerson calls for a “new approach.”

In Japan, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the escalating threat from North Korea’s nuclear program showed a clear need for a “new approach,” although he stopped short of detailing what steps the Trump administration would pursue.

Tillerson said he hoped to deepen cooperation among the US, Japan and South Korea “in the face of North Korea’s dangerous and unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs.”

Tillerson said North Korea has nothing to fear from the US or its regional allies.

On his first trip as secretary to Asia, Tillerson will also stop in South Korea before heading to China, whom Tillerson said has a major role to play in a solution for North Korea.

In response, China insisted its proposal for de-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula was the “only feasible plan” and challenged the US to come up with something better.

Nigeria: Boko Haram released a video showing the killing of three accused spies by gunshot and beheading. (AP)

Somalia: Somali authorities are tracking a pirate-seized oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan hostages and are ready to use force if talks to free the ship fail. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Brazil: The number of cases of Zika, dengue and chikungunya reported in the country during the first 6 weeks of 2017 is nearly 90 percent less than in the same period in 2016, the Health Ministry said. (AP)

Brazil: Demonstrators went on strike in a string of cities to protest reforms to the cash-strapped country’s pension system. (AFP)

El Salvador: A judge summoned 20 military suspects to appear in court in relation to the El Mozote massacre during the country’s civil war. (AP)

United States: A federal judge in Hawaii blocked President Trump’s ban on travel from parts of the Muslim world. (NYT)

ASIA

Region: Australia urged Southeast Asia’s regional bloc and China to conclude a legally-binding code of conduct in the South China Sea. (AP)

Region: French and German leaders expressed relief after Dutch voters backed the nation’s PM Mark Rutte over an anti-immigration and anti-Islam candidate in an election that many viewed as a symbolic defeat for the forces of political populism. (USA Today)

Russia: The country denies its agents were involved in hacking 500M Yahoo accounts. (INDE)

Sweden: Domestic intelligence head Anders Thornberg said there is “a real and serious threat against the security” of the country of “an increased military strategic importance.” (AP)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: Jordan’s King Abdullah II and US envoy Jason Greenblatt held talks about reviving long-stalled efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. (AP)

Iran: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sivanka Dhanapala praised the country for its generosity towards refugees. (AFP)

Iraq: Iraqi authorities said more than 150,000 people have fled fighting in and around Mosul since the operation to retake it from Islamic State jihadists began. (AFP)

Syria: More than 150 Russian demining experts have arrived to help demine the ancient city of Palmyra. (Reuters)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: Indictments in the US of four people in a 2014 cyber attack on Yahoo Inc provides the clearest details yet on a symbiotic relationship between Moscow’s security services and private Russian hackers. (Reuters)

WORLD

Cyclones: Nothing to Report

Hurricanes: Nothing to Report

Earthquakes: Nothing to Report

Volcanoes: Mount Etna, Italy

Molten lava eruptions of 200 meters are not expected to pose any immediate threats. (AFP)